Finding A Great Dentist

4 Ways To Save Money On Dental Implants

17 December 2014

Kenzi Thompson

When it comes to replacement teeth, dental implants are one of the best options for many patients. They're permanent, non-removable, and they function just like your regular teeth. However, the best treatment is not the same as the most affordable treatment. Dental implants are not covered by Medicaid, and many major dental insurance companies don't cover them either. As a result, you may need to get creative in order to afford dental implants if they're the best choice for you. Check out a few of your options for more affordable dental implants.

Dental Schools

For low-cost implants (or other dental work) a dental school in your local area may be your best bet. Dental students have to get hands-on experience somewhere, and offering low-cost dental work to the community is a good way to get it. Don't worry, though – dental students doing work on live patients are typically skilled, close to graduation, and closely supervised by their professors.

As you can imagine, the demand for low cost, high quality dental work is very high, so if you choose this alternative for implants, you can probably expect to be on a waiting list for a while. You may also need to meet certain qualifications; for example, some dental schools offer their services only to members of the community who meet standards that qualify them as low-income.

Dental Tourism

Dental tourism is similar to medical tourism. Patients looking for low-cost dental work travel abroad to a country where it's cheaper to have the work that they need done. Dental implants are more expensive in the U.S. than in many other countries, so you may see significant savings by traveling.

On the other hand, if you travel specifically to have dental work done, you'll have to factor the cost of travel in with the cost of your dental implants. Plane tickets and lodging aren't cheap, and may negate most of the savings you can find by traveling. However, if you have a trip already planned and you need implants, it might be worth researching the cost of implants in the area that you're traveling to. Vacation hotspots like Mexico and Costa Rica are also popular for dental tourism.

Dental Discount Plans

Dental discount plans are sometimes used instead of, or in addition to, dental insurance plans. Like insurance plans, dental discount plans usually require you to choose a dental care provider out of a network of affiliated providers. However, dental discount plans usually have fewer restrictions on the type of dental work you can have done. The membership fee that you pay for the plan can entitle you to save hundreds or thousands on whatever dental work you need done.

Financing

Financing should be a last resort when it comes to affording dental work, because it's actually more expensive, not less expensive. You'll eventually pay for your implants in full, as well as for interest and fees on the amount of money that you owe. However, if you can't afford to pay for implants in full right away, financing is a way to get the work that you need done without paying all of the money up front.

There are several ways to get financing for dental care. You can put the procedure on a credit card. Your dentist may offer private financing for expensive procedures. Or, there are financing companies that specialize in providing funds for dental and medical procedures that you may be able to qualify for if your credit score is high enough.

If you and your dentist are convinced that implants are the healthiest choice for your teeth, don't give up because they seem out of reach financially. Search for opportunities you can use to cut costs, and ask dentists, like those at Michels & Gauquie Cosmetic and Family Dentistry, for suggestions as well. 

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